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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. game — a match
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. tear — to rip
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lean — to bend
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tear — from crying
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. mug — a cup
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com